quickstrike's Malibal Satori P170EM/NP9170 Review

This is my review so far...I will be updating and posting more thoughts as I use the notebook more or if there are requests from other members.

Malibal Satori P170EM/NP9170
i7-3610QM
8GB 1600Mhz DDR3 RAM (Samsung)
AMD Radeon 7970M
Stock Glossy Screen
500 GB Hard Drive (Western Digital)
Intel Advanced-N 6235 Wifi/Bluetooth Combo
Plextor M3 128GB SSD (bought and installed myself)

Background:
This is my first laptop that I have bought myself. And this is a gaming laptop. I have always used desktops in the past and my most recent desktop that I was using had an AMD550 processor modded to quad core with a 8800GTS 320MB graphics card. It has always been able to run games quite well. I didn't turn on any aliasing so I've always ran games at 1600 resolution without antialiasaing without issues. I decided to get a laptop because I wanted something more portable...something I could use while sitting in bed, or even plug it into a TV.

Malibal Impressions:
My general experience with Malibal has been positive. Their website was very clean and easy to use when purchasing the laptop. I have chatted with them both over their live chat as well as on the phone and they answered my questions very quickly and were responsive. I checked a bunch of resellers and they were also easy to work with. But what tipped me over to Malibal...call me shallow, but it was because I didn't want my laptop to have the 'Sager' logo on it. To me it looks uglier. Yes, I know you can select a laptop without a brand, but I didn't really want that because it would make the laptop even more generic. I also admit that I made many changes to my order. Initially I had ordered a P150EM, made several modifications such as the screen/hard drive options. And then I changed to a P170EM, and made several more modifications over time. Malibal made my order changes promptly without issues. In general it took a while to get my laptop. But the relevant time it took to build and receive the laptop was as expected. I ordered on May 7th, and didn't get mine until June 22. When receiving the laptop, everything was built as expected, and have been using my laptop since without any problems.

If I were to give constructive criticism, I think it would have been better to get more frequent updates about the status of the laptop. There was an email or two directly from Malibal regarding 7970M delays, but unless you were reading the Malibal forums on a frequent basis, a buyer who didn't read the forums would have been a bit out of the loop and would have been forced to ask Malibal for an update.

Installation:
I ordered the laptop with the Windows operating system, so I had to install Windows myself. Since the laptop came with a 500gb hard drive, I wanted to use a Plextor 128gb SSD that I bought myself. The P170EM comes with 2 hard drives. When I received the laptop, the 500GB hard drive was already installed in the secondary bay underneath the optical drive. This made it super easy to install the SSD in the primary bay. All I had to do was unscrew 2 screws for the bay, open the lid, slide in the SSD drive, and then close the lid and screw back in the 2 screws.

I was also able to install Windows 7 Ultimate without issues. I just popped in my Windows CD, and then when I turned on my computer, it already booted of the CD to install windows.

After Windows was installed, I just put in the provided drivers installation CD. The CD has an automenu that pops up and then I just started installing drivers one by one. After installing and several restarts, it had recognized every single device and there was no need to go to any website to download additional drivers.

My laptop did include a disc with the Display Calibration profile, so all I did was go to the Windows Color Management, added the profile from the disc, and then I was good to go. Honestly, I wasn't able to observe any real difference before/after using the calibration profile.

Noise:
This laptop has 2 main vents that push air out from the back of the laptop. The left side is the CPU vent, and the right side is the graphics card. Most of the time, the noise of the laptop is reasonable, you can definitely hear the fan while using it, but it has not been distracting. When I start gaming, I will hear the right fan kick in higher, and while louder than usual, it doesn't affect gaming on this notebook.

7970M Graphics:
So far, I am satisfied with the 7970M. I'm amazed at the graphics performance for a notebook (I came from using a 8800gts on a desktop). In terms of switchable graphics, it seems like under normal use, it mostly defaults to using the Intel integrated HD4000 GPU. Based on the applications you run, the Catalyst Control Center will automatically detect the applications you are running and will usually popup a windows after you have used or exited a program asking whether you want to configure the application for 'Power Saving' or 'High Performance'. If you choose 'High Performance', when you run the application again, it will use the 7970M. So far playing Diablo 3 has been very smooth at 1920 resolution with everything set to High and antialiasing enabled. One way I know that the 7970M is in use is when I put my hand in the right vent. If I feel warm air blowing from there, then I know the 7970M is being used at the moment. I ran Diablo 3 while monitoring the temperatures and so far the max has not reached above 70C which is quite cool. So far, I'm satisfied with the temperatures and performance of the 7970M.

Screen:
I have always used matte screens in the past. My laptop at work is a 14" Dell laptop with a matte screen. With my previous desktop, I was using a 21" Samsung monitor with a matte screen. I was convinced by a co-worker to try a glossy screen. The screen has exceeded my expectations for a notebook. The screen is nice and bright, the viewing angles are reasonable. The glossy effect does make things look a tad sharper and colors definitely stick out more. I know a lot of people make glossy vs matte a big debate, but I think in the long run once you get your notebook, you'll be happy either way. At the moment, I think it is more of a preference.

Keyboard:
The keyboard is backlit and you can also change the color as well or give it an effect. I personally just kept it at a solid light blue color. Changing the color of the keyboard is software driven. That means while you are rebooting the computer or starting up the computer, it will go back to the default blue. Once Windows has started up and the software starts up automatically, the backlit keyboard will transition back to the settings that you chose. The keys have a slight rubbery feeling to them . The only thing I don't like about the keyboard is that there is a bit of unevenness while pressing keys. This is because if you press against the edges of the keys, you can see the other side of the key raise up. I would have preferred a chicklet style keyboard instead. Also, I tend to use the directional pad often and there have been multiple times where I have been unable to 'feel' and locate the directional pad easily. It would have been better if there was some kind of bump on the directional keys.

Sound:
This is the first series of laptops that come with the Onkyo speakers. I am not able to speak to how the previous generation of Clevo laptops. In general, the sound quality of the speakers are something I'd call just a tad above average. I highly recommend installing the provided THX StudioPro software. Without the software installed, the speakers will sound muddy and seem low in volume. The THX software will definitely make the speakers sound better in the sense that it make voices sound more prominent and clearer. It will also make the highs sound a bit more defined a crisper. I have been using Logitech Z-2300 speakers in the past and the Logitech speakers will of course sound a lot better. But for laptop speakers, these speakers are decent enough that you won't mind using them. Keep in mind that you will also need to configure Windows as 5.1 sound instead of 2.1 since this laptop has more than 2 speakers.

I have been so used to having a hardware volume switch with the Logitech speakers, that I found a really nice software called Volumouse. It lets change the volume of the sound coming from your laptop easily by just pressing and holding the left mouse button and then using the mouse wheel to adjust the volume higher or lower.

Battery:
Still running test. I have been using a software called BatteryCare which will help estimate the battery run time. As long as the 7970m stays in a low powered state and you are just doing web browsing/general tasks on your computer, so far I see that I am able to get just under 3 hours of usage.

Click on images to view larger version

Notes: I haven't taken off the plastic cover off the top of the laptop yet which is why the top looks gray.

 

Great, well written review How was Malibal's service?

Mr. Mysterious

 

I ordered a similar system from Malibal, too. Their service is top notch especially coming from Alienware. It's like night and day. Too bad the Malibal forums are down. I joined that community for the discount but during the whole 7970M delay, I've gotten so used to checking in. I'm in love with my Malibal.

 

Thanks for the review quick. Im in love with my satori as well. Im glad to see you finally have yours sean as i was fearing for the sake of your children if you didnt get it soon. Malibal's service was 100% Grade A+ from the time i placed my order on april 29th till i received it on june 21st. I highly recommend them for their customer service and quality product.

 

+1
Awesome review, again I simply love the pictures!